Description of Related Art
With the advancement of substrate size and feature scale in semiconductor device manufacturing from one technology node to the next, as well as the increasing complexity of devices transitioning from planar to non-planar, the need for advanced precision control of feature attributes across large diameter substrates is rapidly escalating. Current methodologies, including beam processing systems as well as non-beam processing systems, such as spatially controlled plasma and non-plasma processing systems, are contemplated for advanced corrective processing schemes.
As an example, location specific processing by gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) is a highly precise method for correcting across-substrate non-uniformity of feature attributes. Provided spatially resolved feature attribute data, such as feature height or thickness measured at multiple sites on a substrate, a location specific processing scheme can be applied to correct variations in the feature attribute data to within tolerable or acceptable limits. However, these schemes are limited by the data content of the measurement technique or source providing input to the corrective measure. For instance, the amount of measurement coverage available at the peripheral edge of a substrate can be lacking. And, this occurrence is especially true when considering a patterned die pad measurement scheme.